Samoa (pronounced suh-MOW-uh) was an approximately 14-year-old female Icelandic killer whale. She was captured on November 14th, 1983 off the coast of Jökulsá, Iceland, alongside another killer whale later named Nandu at approximately 5-years-old. Samoa passed away due to a systemic fungal infection caused by mucormycetes mold on March 14th, 1992, at SeaWorld San Antonio.
Capture & Life in Brazil[]
On November 14th, 1983, Samoa was captured in Iceland with another orca named Nandu. The two arrived at the Hafnarfjodur Aquarium the next day, where they met another Icelandic orca named Tilikum, who had been captured a few days before. The three whales underwent training and were put of for sale for marine parks. Around a year later, Samoa and Nandu were purchased and moved to the Aquarama Sao Paulo in Brazil on November 23rd, 1984.
For the next few years, Samoa and Nandu performed daily together. The whales were offered toys, which Nandu had a tendency to eat. Samoa, however, showed no interest in the enrichment devices. In 1988, Nandu passed away from a tumor he had recently been suffering from. After his death, Samoa was without a companion for the following months, aside from bottlenose dolphins she would perform with. On May 3rd, 1989, Samoa was moved to SeaWorld Ohio.
Life at SeaWorld[]
At SeaWorld Ohio, Samoa possibly joined a female named Kahana, but this is not known due to a confusion on transfer dates. In 1990, a young female named Kalina joined Samoa in Ohio. The two performed together for the duration of the summer season. On October 13th, 1990, Samoa was moved for a final time to SeaWorld San Antonio.
At SeaWorld Texas, Samoa often participated in waterworks with her trainers and had no documented aggression. She was a reliable performer, but had instances of displaying strange behavior, such as hurling herself out of the water and crashing onto slide-outs. In 1991, Samoa became pregnant with her first calf, which was sired by Kotar. During her pregnancy however, she developed an infection that would eventually spread to her brain.
Death[]
During Samoa's pregnancy, she began to develop a fungal infection caused by mold called mucormycetes. The veterinary staff detected that she had an infection due to her elevated white blood cell count. Numerous broad spectrum antibiotics were started, though unfortunately these would prove ineffective. As her pregnancy progressed, so did the infection, eventually reaching numerous systems throughout her body.
On March 14th, 1992, Samoa went into premature labor. She was unable to pass the calf, and unfortunately succumbed to her illness after 2 hours. It was found that the infection had spread throughout Samoa's brain and reproductive system. Her calf was determined to be female and near full term. It is unclear whether or not the calf was deceased prior to her labor or during.[1]
It is possible that the fungal infection was causing much of her odd, stereotypical behavior that was seen throughout her pregnancy, including crashing onto slide-out areas.
Transfer History[]
| FROM: | TO: | ON: |
|---|---|---|
| Jökulsá, Iceland | Capture Boat (Guðrún), Iceland | Nov. 14, 1983 |
| Capture Boat (Guðrún), Iceland | Hafnarfjörður Aquarium, Iceland | Nov. 15, 1983 |
| Hafnarfjörður Aquarium, Iceland | Aquarama São Paulo, Brazil | Nov. 23, 1984 |
| Aquarama São Paulo, Brazil | SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | May 03, 1989 |
| SeaWorld Aurora, Ohio | SeaWorld San Antonio, Texas | Oct. 13, 1990 |
Galleries[]
- Photos of Samoa
- Videos of Samoa